Forbidden Ties
by LadyChurro2054
Summary: Sixteen years after Ivan's attack, the heroes of the war and normal citizens of the kingdom are living in harmony. That is until the children of the main heroes start becoming curious of lands beyond the island they call home. Join Gale, daughter of Lukas and Erika, Arlo; son of Ned and Sakura, Xavier; son of Tolys and Kaska, and their new friend Elois on an adventure to discover.
1. Chapter 1: A New Friend

_So, here we are again. I have finished my first long term fanfic and I'm ready for another one! Hetalia still has a firm grip on my hand so yes, it's another Hetalia fanfic. I know that we all go crazy for next generation stuff. At least I do. And I have enough ships to write up and expand the 'Cardinal Warriors' universe. Will I have to draw up these children at some point? Yes but that's a problem for future me. Present me is focused on the writing. Now, I will list off the child/children of each ship. Use this chapter as a reference if you get confused._

_DenNor: Gale and Ella_

_LietPol: Xavier and Julia_

_NetherPan (Ned x Sakura): Arlo_

_PruCan: Annalise, Engela and Frederick_

_SpAus (Roderich x Martina): Ronald and Mateo_

_ItaLiech (Feliciano x Eva): Carrina_

_Romania x Bulgaria (Vladimir x Melana): Sorin_

_RomaBel (Lovino x Emma): Roman_

_In a separate 'chapter', basically a half chapter, I'll clearly write out everyone's ages; including the parents and children. I feel like they're important. It's also to put any confusion to rest. You'll be able to refer to the half chapter if you're ever curious how old everyone is. This story __**is **__set 16 years after the war._

_Also, you like my crack ship of Italy and Liechtenstein? She was in the last chapter of 'Forbidden Love' for a reason. Not just for angst. Once again, I am not the biggest fan of Gerita. Feliciano and Eva are a thing here, fight me._

_Alright, I've rambled long enough. I hope you enjoy this continuation featuring the next generation born of the many ships!_

**~oOo~**

After the fall of Ivan, the Cardinal kingdoms moved on. It has been sixteen years since the war. Everyone and everything was flourishing. It wasn't completely peaceful; the cardinal warriors still had their work cut out for them. Although the group had doubled in size with the inclusion of women. The warriors now fought in teams of two or three.

The next generation was slowly taking over the overall population. In the aftermath of the war, many people settled down and started families. This included several cardinal warriors. They were getting along in age but they had a lot of fight left in them and they needed it to raise the next generation who were becoming increasingly curious of the world.

**xXx**

"Gale! Go find your sister. We need to be in the Northern Kingdom by the early evening." Lukas shouted.

"But I still need to pack." Gale whined.

"I'll pack for you. Go find her, now!" Erika took her teenage daughter's hand and shoved her out the front door. Gale grumbled but went to hunt down her little sister.

Erika and Lukas were in their mid thirties. But their age only showed in their eyes, not their faces. Erika had cut her hair again, keeping it short with messy waves framing her face. Lukas was the opposite; he had let it grow out to his shoulders. But he always kept it pulled back.

Gale grew up to be more girly than Erika was prepared for. Gale's hair turned out to be a lighter blonde, similar to Lukas. Gale grew it out, keeping it a steady length that never went past her lower back. Like her father, she made sure to pull it back. She did so through a long braid. She went back and forth between pants and dresses. Today, it was pants. The blonde wore light blue shirt that fell off the shoulders slightly, tan pants and black boots.

"ELLA! WE NEED TO GO!" Gale called out for her sister. After a few minutes, she started getting frustrated.

"Looking for something?" said a voice.

Gale perked up to see her uncle Emil a little blonde girl. He looked like Lukas, just with platinum blonde hair. They were about the same height, which is still short.

"Oh thank you!" Gale sighed in relief, "I'll take it from here."

"You have a safe trip. I'll keep an eye on your house." Emil winked and set down the girl dressed in a dark blue dress with brown boots.

Ella was Gale's ten-year-old sister. Sporting her mother's sunny blonde hair and bright blue eyes, Ella was a troublemaker. She could never stand still; she had to run around to release her energy. Not to mention, the little girl was messy. Erika spent one night a week getting stains out of her clothes. Cutting Ella's hair as short as Erika's was the best decision the parents had ever made.

Gale took Ella's hand, "Thank you kindly uncle Emil. For that and finding Ella. We'll see you soon." She hugged Emil and headed back to the house.

Ella let go of her sister's hand and skipped inside, "We're back!" She cooed.

Lukas walked up to them, grabbing the younger girl's ear. "You knew we were leaving after lunch. Don't run off again." He huffed.

Ella whined, "Wah! Daddy, let go of my ear. That hurts."

Lukas released her ear and kissed her forehead, "Sorry dear. I just don't want to lose you. Now sit outside with your sister." He sighed.

Gale grabbed Ella's hand, "I'm going to hold your hand until we leave."

Ella puffed out her cheeks as she followed her sister outside. The two laid on the grass while they waited. They had nearly fallen asleep when they heard a whistle. It was their father.

Lukas stood next to Erika who had shapeshifted into her dragon form, "Come on girls. Let's get a move on." He gestured to Erika. Ella jumped up and climbed onto her mother's back.

"Mum, can I fly there? Please! It's not that far." Gale pleaded, "I can hold my form a lot longer now."

Erika hummed, thinking for a moment. Then gave a nod. "You have been practicing. I think you can last a few hours." She replied.

"If you get tired, rest in your mother's claws." Lukas added.

Gale grinned and nodded vigorously. She eagerly shapeshifted into a blue dragon, no bigger than a horse.

"Oh! Can I ride on her back?" Ella gasped.

"No dear. She can't support any weight yet." Lukas shook his head.

"Aww come on. I need to practice some time!" Gale looked at her father with a pleading look.

"Maybe on the way back. You have to practice while we're there." Lukas replied and climbed onto Erika's back, pulling Ella closer.

"Alright. We've wasted enough time. Tolys is going to be wondering where we are." Erika stretched her wings and took off. Gale flapped her wings a couple times before taking off after her mother.

**xXx**

After a few hours of travel, the family made it to the Northern Kingdom. Ella had fallen asleep on the way there. Erika glanced around, looking for a place to land. All of a sudden, an icy blue beam shot off from the town square.

"It's mister Tolys!" Gale cheered.

"Better shapeshift to just your wings, Erika." Lukas patted Erika's neck.

"But what about you and Ella? Gale can't carry either of you." Erika questioned. Lukas gently roused the little girl, "Just watch milady." He snickered slightly. Ella stretched her arms, looking up at her father curiously. Out of nowhere, the blonde gracefully pushed Ella off of Erika's back.

"ELLA!" Gale and Erika shouted. Lukas jumped off of Erika next. In two black blurs, something, or things, caught them both. Erika and Gale quickly shapeshifted to their human forms with wings, darting to the ground.

"Lukas, what the fu-" Erika prepared to scold her husband when she cut herself off. A black wolf and panther set down down the two blondes.

"Sir Ned, Lady Sakura." Gale waved.

The two shapeshifted back to their human forms. Much like Erika and Lukas, Ned and Sakura had aged well. Ned hadn't changed at all, actually. Sakura did change her hairstyle, keeping her hair in a neat bun rather than a braid.

"Nice catch, Nathanial. Be a little gentler next time though." Lukas rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm a wolf. Being gentle isn't my thing." Ned shrugged.

Ella hugged Sakura's waist, "That was so cool! Thanks for catching me." She cooed. Sakura patted the girl's head, "Think nothing of it little one. That was a simple task." She smiled.

"Mother, father. You cut those catches way too close." A teenage boy with messy black hair and pale green eyes walked up to the couple, "Your forms could've been better." He rolled his eyes. The teenage boy wore a navy blue vest with a white shirt rolled up to his elbows, gray pants and black boots. He had a long red scarf hanging loosely from his neck.

"Arlo, my son. I am not as young as I used to be. My form won't always be perfect." Sakura huffed, "And don't say our village strives for perfection. That is a lie. We're graceful, not perfect."

Gale slung her arm around Arlo's shoulders, "Yeah Ari*. Learn to lighten up a little bit." She smirked. Arlo unsheathed his wolf like claws, "Call me 'Ari' one more time and I'll cut your hair off again. I'll cut through your hair like butter." He snapped, although he was blushing.

Ned came up and lightly bopped Arlo on the head, "Calm yourself kid. Or I'm sending you to your aunt's in the Southern kingdom. A whole week of nonstop smiles and hard work." He smirked slightly.

"NO! I am not doing that again. Lovino is so mean to me since he knows why I'm there." Arlo panicked.

Meanwhile, Erika finally got over the shock and proceeded to chew Lukas out.

"What was that?! You shoved our daughter off of me. While we were in the air!" Erika hissed, "What if Sakura didn't catch her in time huh? Ella could've gotten seriously hurt!"

Lukas sighed and took her hands, "I'm sorry Erika. I should've told you that I was going to do that. I just figured it would be a fun surprise. Seeing Ned. I know you two don't get to talk as much as you want."

Erika growled lowly, looking away. "Be lucky I love you." She mumbled. "Next time though, you jump off instead of shoving Ella off."

Lukas pecked her lips, "It's a promise." He nodded.

**xXx**

After a small reunion with old friends, they went to greet Tolys. Erika ran up and hugged him tightly. They continued to be close friends after all these years.

"Hey there Tolys! It has been way too long." Erika cooed. Tolys laughed and patted her on the back as he hugged her back, "Yes it has. I'm happy you came to visit." He pulled away. "Gale is a beauty. She has grown up so much from that chubby little baby."

"Hasn't she though? I fear for when she falls in love. Lukas is gonna throw a hissy fit. Over her and Ella too." Erika chuckled, "Where is Kaska and your kids?"

"They're shopping in the market. They'll meet us back at the house." Tolys smiled, "Also, Matthew and Julchen are visiting with their kids as well. They're back at my house." He added.

"Oh! That's exciting. The whole group is getting back together. First time in a while." Erika clapped her hands.

Ned walked up to them, "Should Julchen really be traveling? Last I heard, she was expecting their fourth child." He questioned.

"Don't worry about her Ned. She's tougher than she looks, no matter her condition." said a quiet voice.

Ned turned to see Matthew. He had grown out his hair, keeping it cut at his shoulders and pulling it back in a low ponytail. His curls were also more apparent now, having one stray curl falling in front of his face.

"Matt, good to see you!" Erika grinned.

Ned made eye contact with the blonde, "Let me guess. You want me to shapeshift into a wolf so you hug my neck?" He rolled his eyes.

Matthew gave him a pleading look, "Please? Just like old times. You're my partner, retired or otherwise." Ned conceded and turned into a wolf. Matthew cooed softly as he hugged and nuzzled Ned's neck.

"Still a kid, no matter his age." Erika giggled.

"Hey mum!" Gale ran up to Erika, dragging an annoyed but flustered Arlo along. "I know we need to head to mister Tolys's house but can I take a walk along the shore with Arlo?" She asked eagerly, "I want to catch up with him."

Erika gave a gentle nod, "That's fine. Just be back by dinnertime in an hour."

"I'll send Xavier your way. He'll be happy to see you." Tolys patted her head.

**xXx**

Erika skipped off to the northwestern sandy shores of the kingdom. She never got to see the ocean much do to living near the mountains so coming to the Northern kingdom was always fun.

"Hey Arlo. Don't you ever wonder what lies beyond the oceans that border all the kingdoms? I know the plot of land we live on is an island." Gale picked up some sand and threw it up in the air, letting the breeze blow it towards the water.

Arlo hummed, purring like a cat. "Sometimes. But I am happy where I live. I don't wish to journey beyond this island." He shrugged.

"Why not? There must be other islands or even a mainland across these waters. I'd love to go to them." Gale pouted, "I'd rather not be unaware of what lies beyond our home. There could be other people living out there. Unaware of _our_ existence."

"You've got your head in the clouds, don't ya Gale?" Someone came walking up to them.

"Xavier!" Gale cooed.

Arlo grumbled and gave a simple wave, "Evening Xavier." He muttered.

The teeanger had straight blonde hair styled in a bob cut with bright green eyes. He had on a blue tunic paired with a white long sleeve, tan tights and brown boots. He also wore a forest green cloak.

Gale skipped over to the blonde and hugged him tightly, "You look great Xavier! I am digging the blue tunic." She grinned.

"Thanks. My aunts sewed it for me. My ma gifted me the cloak. It used to belong to my father." Xavier went red in the face.

"It looks good on you." Gale winked.

Arlo was becoming annoyed and stepped in to break up their chat. "It's getting late. We should head to Xavier's house." He huffed.

"Don't be such a buzzkill, Ari." Xavier smirked and pulled them both in for a hug, "We're supposed to be buddies. The dream team. A child born of a mountain fairy and a healing wizard. A child born of an eastern feline shapeshifter and eastern wolf shapeshifter. A child born of a rank A wizard and a dragon shapeshifter. All together, we're also born of the heroes of the cardinal kingdoms."

"Yeah! We come from some pretty amazing people." Gale giggled.

"Let me go. And stop calling me Ari!" Arlo snapped and tried to get out of their hold.

"You all are so close. That's nice." said a quiet voice. The trio paused to look for the source of the voice; a pair of blue-purple eyes and two pairs of green resting on a tall, teenage boy. Making eye contact with a pair of dark purple ones.

"Who are you?" Xavier raised an eyebrow.

**xXx**

The teenage boy panicked and quickly bowed to them. "F-forgive me. I spoke and I didn't introduce myself. The name is Elois." He stammered.

Gale smiled and gestured to herself, "Nice to meet ya Elois. I'm Gale. These two knuckleheads are my friends. The blonde is Xavier and the grumpy one is Arlo." She then gestured to Xavier and Arlo.

"Pleasure." Xavier winked.

"Hi." Arlo crossed his arms.

"With that out of the way, what are you doing here? Do you live around here?" Gale asked.

Elois bit his lip. "Y-yes, I do. I live here with my mother Marie." He looked away. He seemed nervous.

"Where's your dad?" Arlo questioned in a snarky tone.

Elois was quiet for a moment before answering. "He's . . . not around. It's just me and mother." He murmured.

"That was insensitive, my friend. You didn't have to make him answer." Xavier glared at Arlo.

"Well how the hell was I supposed to know it was a touchy topic?" Arlo countered.

Gale noticed Elois flinching away and turned to confront her friends, "Guys. Stop arguing. You're freaking him out." She huffed.

"Elois! Elois, where are you?" A woman's voice called out.

"Th-that's my mother. I must go. I hope to see you all again." Elois laughed nervously and ran off.

"He was a strange one." Xavier blinked.

"Agreed. He seemed very skittish. Like he's hiding something." Arlo snorted.

"Stop it you two. Don't be like that. Not everyone is tough. Now let's head back. Our parents are probably worried." Gale groaned and shoved them forwards. Despite what she said, she kind of agreed with them. Elois seemed nice enough, if not a bit shy. But something about him rubbed her the wrong way. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Something seemed very off about him though.

_I should tell dad about him. See what he thinks. Maybe I'm just overthinking this. _Gale thought, letting out a sigh as she followed her friends to the house.

**xXx**

The trio made it back in time for dinner. Although they had made it just in time; when everyone was sitting down to eat.

"And Arlo here nagged at us for cutting it close." Sakura scoffed, "Yet he does the same thing with his friends."

Arlo blushed in embarrassment and looked away.

"Relax, miss Sakura. We got a little sidetracked, nothing serious." Xavier assured.

Tolys waved them over, "Come on then. Get something to eat before Julchen and her little army eats it all." He teased as he stared pointingly at the pregnant albino.

"Knock it off Tolys. I can't help my appetite. Blame the baby." Julchen huffed. The three teens sat down to eat.

"You can blame my genes for our children's appetites. Alfred and I could chow down on a lot of food." Matthew laughed nervously.

Three children, two blondes and an albino, sat at a separate table. The oldest looked to be a girl with blonde pigtails and ruby red eyes. Next to her was the albino child who was also a girl. She had a single ponytail put up high with purple eyes. Across from them was a little blonde boy with bouncy curls and purple eyes.

"What are their names again?" Erika asked.

"The oldest is Annalise, then Engela and lastly, Frederick." Julchen winked.

"Still can't believe you settled down and had kids." Kaska chuckled.

Julchen snickered, "Well my little sister is living an independent life with no man so I have to make up for her lack of a family." She grinned, "Plus, I honestly enjoy being around kids. I've always wanted a big family."

"I'm good with two." Erika sighed.

"Agreed." Kaska nodded, "Although . . . one more wouldn't hurt." She smirked over at Tolys who blushed and looked away.

"I'm good with just one." Ned shrugged.

"Aww you don't want a little girl to even things out?" Julchen smiled cheekily at him, "And perhaps to give your wife someone to spoil?"

Ned rolled his eyes, "Sakura already spoils Arlo. We don't need another one. Besides, I have a little sister and Erika is my honorary sister. Dealing with girls is a lot of work. Arlo is a handful as it is."

"Rude. I am an awesome sister. Emil says so." Erika pouted.

"Love you too father." Arlo snorted. Sakura appeared to look saddened by Ned's comment about kids.

Lukas noticed this and looked up at Ned, "Nathaniel. You should consider Sakura's feelings. Maybe she doesn't agree with you." He quirked an eyebrow.

"Do you not remember how much work it was delivering Arlo? Do you know how much stress that put on Sakura?" Ned glared at him.

Tolys raised a hand, "I do. That was one of the messiest deliveries I've ever had." He sighed.

"Delivering shapeshifter babies is usually pretty messy though, as those babies tend to be bigger than normal babies born from wizards and mortals." Erika countered, "Both Gale and Ella clocked in at ten pounds."

"However, the women of shapeshifters are physically built to withstand difficult births." Lukas added, "Sakura is okay now. And she'd be okay carrying a second baby."

Sakura now looked more hopeful. Everything they said was true. That had to be enough to convince Ned.

"Let's not ask mister Ned about this." Gale perked up, "Let's ask Arlo. Like most older siblings, he'll have to lend a hand in caring for the new baby. Plus he'll be living under the same roof as the baby. Ask his opinion." She suggested.

Xavier nudged Arlo, "So what do you think Arlo? Would you want a little brother or sister?" He smirked.

Arlo shook his head, "No thank you. I don't mind babies and little kids. But can you imagine how much sleep I would lose? Both my parents sleep like rocks. I'd be the one taking care of it. Also, think of the age difference. Sixteen years apart? That's too much. Also, also. I have a little cousin who is basically like my brother so yeah. I don't need another one." He replied.

The whole room went silent as the atmosphere got tense. Sakura stood up abruptly after about ten minutes, "Excuse me. I must go get some air." She said in a soft voice and darted out the door.

"Nice going, Ned. You asshole. You just successfully crushed her dreams." Erika groaned.

"You've known since childhood that I wasn't a fan of kids, Rika. It took me a couple years to accept each new sibling." Ned snapped, "Hell I wasn't that excited Sakura was pregnant with Arlo."

Arlo slammed his fist on the table and glared daggers at his father, his glare just as cold as Ned's. "Oh gee, thanks dad. Nice to know that you love me." He hissed. "I'd rather live with Auntie Emma right now. At least then I'll know what love feels like."

"STOP ARGUING!" Tolys shouted as he stood up. A little girl with long brunette hair and green eyes clung to Xavier. She wore a pink bow on her head.

"Daddy got angry." The girl whined. Xavier patted her head, "It's okay Julia." He whispered.

Tolys turned his gaze towards Ned, "You find Sakura and explain yourself."

Ned sighed in defeat and ran out the door.

Tolys looked at Arlo next. "And you keep your mouth shut. You are very privileged compared to a lot of people out there. Most generations don't get lucky enough to have both parents. Be thankful for what you have."

Arlo's eyes turned into cat eyes as both of his hands grew wolf-like claws, "Make me shut up ice queen." He growled.

Tolys grabbed his staff and channeled his ice magic into it, "I gladly will. I'll turn you into an ice sculpture for a whole day. Your parents would have to wait for the ice to melt." He smiled, although it was a very creepy smile.

Lukas grasped his staff, "Easy Tolys. He's just a kid. There is no need to unleash your full power against him." He spoke calmly.

"He's a kid of two powerful shapeshifters. He needs to learn his place and to respect the adults in his life, especially his parents." Tolys chuckled and turned his attention back to Arlo.

"Ari, back down. Mister Tolys's temper is not something you want to test." Gale gulped.

Arlo bared his teeth, "I live in the mountains. Something like ice and the cold doesn't scare me." He huffed.

"Oh silly boy. My ice is nothing like the ice you know. Not even a dragon's fiery breath can melt my ice." Tolys teased childishly, "And my ice is so cold that any cold blooded creature, shapeshifters included, would die if they're exposed to it for too long."

Erika bit her lip, "That is very true. The ice nearly nearly killed me on accident years ago." She muttered.

"Well the creatures I shapeshift into are warm blooded." Arlo scoffed.

Xavier rolled his eyes, "There's a thing called hypothermia genius. That can kill warm blooded animals and people. My father's ice is lethal no matter how you look at it."

Tolys stuck out his tongue teasingly, "You scared yet little boy?" He cooed

_SMACK!_

Tolys dropped his staff and wrapped his arms around his stomach. Arlo went back to normal as Gale yanked him back down into his chair.

Julchen set a sheathed sword aside.

"Thank you Julchen." Kaska sighed in relief. Julchen nodded to her and had Matthew help her to her feet. The albino walked up to Tolys and cupped his face in her hands.

"Did you feel what happened there Tolys?" Julchen snapped, "The smile. The tone. The words. Where could that have come from?"

Tolys suddenly realized what had happened and began to cry, "O-o-oh god. He . . . no. I thought . . . . no . . ." He whimpered, latching onto her. Julchen held him as close as she could, "Shh. It's okay. He's not coming for you. He's gone remember? That horrible man won't torture you anymore." She whispered.

"Even after sixteen years, he still has a grasp on Tolys." Erika gulped.

Lukas gently squeezed her hand, "You know Tolys had a lot of trauma because of that man. Trauma like that can't be easily forgotten." He sighed.

**xXx**

After Julchen calmed down Tolys, they went back to their meal. Ned and Sakura came back. But they turned in for the night. Their problem seemed to be solved but they still looked conflicted. In the sort of comfortable silence, Gale made her move.

"So, there was actually a reason why Xavier, Arlo and I were almost late to dinner." Gale smiled.

Julchen raised an eyebrow, "Enlighten us sweetheart." She huffed.

"We bumped into this boy. He was our age at least. He saw us hugging it out on the beach and commented on how close we were." Xavier explained.

"It was all kinds of creepy. He just appeared out of nowhere." Arlo added.

"He was really nice though. A bit nervous and a little shy. But I don't think he'd cause any harm. And he didn't. He was only being observant." Gale shrugged.

"What was his name?" Tolys asked curiously, "And what did he look like?"

"His name was Elois. He was pretty tall with platinum blonde hair and dark purple eyes." Gale stated, "He was really pale too. Not in a bad way though. He didn't look sickly."

"I'd bet money that that guy could snap Xavier here like a twig." Arlo snickered.

Xavier scoffed, "Hey you're just as slender as me! And you're shorter. You have no right to tease me."

"Xavier, my friend. Arlo is stronger physically, despite having a similar body type to you. You're stronger mentally though." Gale smirked. "That is cold Gale. We're supposed to be friends." Arlo crossed his arms.

"Hmm, Elois." Kaska sat back in her chair, "I know just about everyone around here. And that name doesn't ring a bell. Did he say that he lived here?" She raised an eyebrow.

Gale nodded, "Yeah. He said he lived here with his mother Marie."

"Nope. Don't recognize the names." Kaska shook her head with a sigh.

Lukas put a hand on Gale's shoulder, "If you see him again while we're here, I'd be wary around him. Elois may not be what he seems."

Tolys nodded in agreement, "It's already suspicious that the names don't ring a bell. Be careful." He suggested.

"But he was very polite. He can't be a bad person." Gale pouted.

"It's those kinds of people you should watch out for." Julchen clarified, "Even if he's nice, he could be shady and use you as a pawn. The worst kind of person is someone who pretends to be your friend and stabs you in the back when you least expect it."

"You mean like Elizabeta?" Tolys inquired.

"Don't speak her name. That little snake buttered me up and then used me to get closer to Roderich." Julchen snapped, "The bitch pretended to like me in order to meet him. I was so happy when he rejected her and went with Martina instead." She smirked slightly at the last part.

Erika looked at the three teenagers, "Just be cautious with him. He could be harmless but he could also be dangerous. Understand?"

Gale bit her lip, "Yes mum."

Xavier poked his index fingers together, "Yes lady Erika."

Arlo blew some hair out of his face, "Yes miss Erika."

**Whoa! First chapter is a long one. I think I had a little too much fun with it. I don't regret it though. This was really fun to write. And I am looking forward to writing up more chapters for this story. I swear it won't take over two years to finish. My goal is to wrap it up by the end of the summer. So by the end of August.**

**(*That nickname is pronounced **_**Are-ee**_**)**

**Anyhow, I hope you like this series. If this goes well, I'll write different stories for other ships. I have a long list of ideas that I can sort through. Mostly crossovers but hey, I eat up crossovers. Until next time my fellow hetalians, hasta la pasta! **

**~Mistress Churro**


	2. Chapter 1 - 5: Ages

_So you don't get confused and if you're simply curious about how old everyone is, here's a list of every ship and their families. I promise very child on this list will get their time in the sun. None of them exist just to exist. Yes, some will be more important than others but every child will have time to shine._

**~oOo~**

DenNor + Family:

Lukas - 37 years old

Erika - 37 years old

Gale - 17 years old

Ella - 10 years old

Emil - 27 years old

Boden - 62 years old

Kielo - 60 years old

Erik - 60 years old

Astrid - 60 years old

LietPol + Family:

Tolys - 36 years old

Kaska - 35 years old

Xavier - 16 years old

Julia - 11 years old

Elise - 33 years old

Rota - 30 years old

NetherPan + Family:

Ned - 39 years old

Sakura - 35 years old

Arlo - 16 years old

Emma - 34 years old

Im Yong-Soo - 37 years old

Mei - 33 years old

Leon - 27 years old

PruCan + Family:

Matthew - 32 years old

Julchen - 33 years old

Annalise - 10 years old

Engela - 7 years old

Frederick - 4 years old

Alfred - 32 years old

Monika - 31 years old

Magnus - 54 years old

SpAus + Family:

Roderich - 34 years old

Martina - 33 years old

Ronald - 13 years old

Mateo - 13 years old

Diego - 56 years old

Romania x Bulgaria + Family:

Vladimir - 37 years old

Melana - 36 years old

Sorin - 15 years old

Loiol - 27 years old

ItaLiech + RomaBel + Family:

Feliciano - 34 years old

Eva - 32 years old

Carrina - 7 years old

Lovino - 34 years old

Emma - 34 years old

Roman - 10 years old

Ned - 39 years old

Romulus - 73 years old


	3. Chapter 2: Start of Adventure & Chaos

A couple days have past since Gale and her friends met the mysterious Elois. Gale was starting to forget about him. That was until she bumped into him again in the market.

"Oh my gosh. I am so sorry!" said a boy's voice. Gale waved it off, "It's fine. I was lost in a daze. It was my fault . . ." She trailed off when she looked up.

"Hello again Gale." Elois smiled and helped her up.

Gale lit up, "Hi Elois. I'm happy we got to see each other again. You kind of disappeared." She chuckled.

"Y-yeah. My mother doesn't let me go out much." Elois shrugged.

Gale nodded, "I know the feeling. My dad is protective of me like that. I love him but I wish he would ease up a little. I'm half my mother. I'm a free spirit and naturally curious." She pouted and then gasped, "Hey would you like to join me on a mini adventure to the castle?"

Elois blinked, "W-we're not going to sneak in right?" He gulped.

Gale laughed and patted him on the back, "No. My family and their friends are close to the king and queen. They're visiting them today."

Elois sighed in relief, "Okay good. I'll happily join you."

Gale cheered, hugging him and taking his hand as she took him to the castle. The guards recognized her and let them in without question. Xavier and Arlo ran up to them.

"Elois! Good to see you." Xavier greeted.

"Where have you been?" Arlo questioned.

"With my mother. She's pretty protective of me and doesn't let me go out of the house much." Elois replied.

"Now then. Are you ready?" Gale smirked, "We're gonna do some research in the royal library."

Arlo yawned, "Boo. That sounds even more boring hearing about it a second time." He rolled his eyes.

"What are we doing research on exactly?" Xavier asked curiously.

Gale giggled, "I'll tell you when we get there. Now where are the twins?" She winked. "Waiting in the library." Xavier nodded curtly.

**xXx**

The foursome made their way through the castle to the royal library. Two brunet boys were waiting inside. One sat a table reading a book and the other was gazing out a tall window.

"Elois, meet the princes of the Northern Kingdom. Prince Ronald and Prince Mateo." Gale gestured to the brunets. The one sitting down had green eyes. He looked up at them.

"That one is Mateo, the older twin." Arlo clarified. Mateo set the book down and stood up, "Hello to you to Arlo. You seem just as snarky ever." He rolled his eyes.

"Thank you." Arlo snorted.

"Hey! He's only older by like, five minutes." Ronald came jogging up to them, pouting over the comment.

"Doesn't change anything. I've been in the world five minutes longer than you." Mateo teased. The twin proceeded to bricker back and forth for a few minutes. Gale eventually cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Ahem. We're here for a reason you know. You said you may be able to help me." Gale sighed.

Mateo nodded, "Right. Ronnie, go get the books and maps." He looked at his twin. Ronald saluted and whistled. A red macaw flew to his shoulder. A blue macaw landed on his head. "Coco, Churro. You get the books. I've got the maps." He smiled, letting the birds fly off before darting off himself.

"Oh my god. Are you still on cloud nine?" Arlo groaned. Gale scoffed, "Well excuse me cat-dog. I am a person of curiosity, like my father. I can't rest until I get some kind of answer."

"What are you looking up exactly?" Elois tilted his head slightly.

"She's looking to find if there's something across the oceans." Xavier smiled.

"Our mother was a traveler of the seas. She did say that there are other lands but she couldn't elaborate for some reason." Mateo explained, "Luckily, our mother is spacey and stupidly kept all the maps and journals from her travels. She tried to hide them. She didn't do a good job." He smirked slightly.

"Hooray for miss Martina's ditziness." Gale grinned. The macaws came back with four dusty books.

"Who is who?" Arlo quirked an eyebrow. Mateo whistled, the blue bird perching on his shoulder. "This is Coco." He stated. Churro flew to land on Ronald's head when the brunet came back with an armful of maps. Ronald set the scrolls onto the table.

The young teens began to sort the various maps. The twins looked through the journals. Gale and Xavier began to carefully lay out the maps across the table.

"These maps don't make any sense. They all show completely different places." Arlo huffed. Elois squinted before gasping, "Maybe we can use that to our advantage. Move them around. Like puzzle pieces!" He carefully shifted the maps around.

"Giant map, giant map!" Churro squawked.

"Whoa! I never would've thought of that." Ronald cupped his cheek in surprise.

Mateo blinked, "Guess mother is craftier than we thought. That's nine maps becoming one large map."

"And look!" Xavier used his staff to point out the Northwestern part of the map, "That blob there looks like land."

Gale's eyes sparkled with excitement, "A mainland! I knew it." She cooed. Then she paused as a smirk crept onto her face.

"No Gale. I know that smirk. That's your idea smirk." Arlo huffed, "And I know what you're thinking. We are not going there."

"Gale, we can barely travel the island without our parents. You really think we can cross the ocean?" Xavier gulped.

Gale puffed out her cheeks, "Come on you two. Where's your sense of adventure? We can explore this land that only a few people know about."

"And how are we gonna get there huh? We'd need a ship to cross the water." Arlo sighed.

"We could help with that." Mateo winked. "Yeah! We can take a ship from the castle docks." Ronald grinned.

"You know, why not? We're not getting any younger. Let's explore before our fates decide our lives." Xavier snickered.

Arlo face palmed, "Why am I the only sensible person here?" He rubbed his temple, "Okay, what are we gonna tell our parents? I don't think they'll let us just go if we ask."

"There's a thing called sneaking around genius. We don't tell them." Gale said simply.

Arlo grabbed her shoulders, "Gale please think straight! Our parents are either heroes of the land or the rulers of a kingdom. If they find out that we've snuck off in the middle of the night, chaos will ensue! All the red flags will go off. It's too risky." He hissed.

"If it's adults you're worried about, I've got it covered. Lovino is visiting Martina and Alfred came here to meet up with Matthew. They'll be supervising our adventure." Gale smiled.

Arlo growled lowly, "Can we really trust the bumbling brother of my dad's former partner as the 'adult' of this trip?"

"That's why Lovino is coming too. He'll keep Alfred focused." Gale countered.

"We can trust Lovino. He's also an animal shapeshifter. So he can protect us too." Mateo added. "And Alfred has a lot of physical strength. What he lacks in brain, he makes up for in brawn." Ronald smirked.

Arlo looked over at Elois, "You. You've been quiet this whole time. What do you think about this?" He snapped.

Elois gulped as he played with a lock of his hair, "W-well. It's risky for sure. But . . . rebelling a little bit to explore sounds nice. I don't like being cooped up in my house." He looked away.

"HA!" Gale poked Arlo's forehead, "That decides it! We're going on an adventure."

Arlo let out a frustrated sigh, "Okay. Whatever. I'm gonna come. Just to make sure none of you die. Especially the twins." He groaned.

Gale giggled with glee. The next couple of hours were spent planning their getaway. The plan was to wait until nighttime before sneaking around the castle to the docks and setting sail before guards noticed. Gale called for Alfred and Lovino to clue them in. Lovino was made lookout and Alfred was meant to knock out guards that got too close to the docks. It was the perfect plan.

**xXx**

As the children were sharing a room at Tolys' and Kaska's home, waking up wasn't an issue. Xavier managed to conjure up a sleeping spell and cast it over the house. Him, Arlo and Gale were unaffected by it.

"I still think this is a bad idea." Arlo grumbled as he pulled on his boots.

"And that's why you're coming with. To keep us from doing anything crazy." Gale smirked as she pulled her hair up in a high ponytail.

Xavier sat on the bed, gently stroking Julia's hair, "What if something goes wrong? I love my family. I'd like to be able to see them again." He gulped. "Gale. What about Ella?"

Gale paused for a moment, gazing over at her sleeping sister. "S-she's a big girl. She'll be okay by herself for a bit." She sighed.

"Now don't either of you get cold feet. I didn't get dragged into this quest just for you two to bail." Arlo huffed, "We're . . . the dream team remember? We can do anything." He bit his lip. The two blondes perked up at the sound of that.

"Yeah, we can do anything." Xavier smiled. "We're gonna find out so much stuff and come back smarter than ever." Gale cooed.

Arlo smirked slightly, "There we go. That's better. Now let's head out to the docks."

**xXx**

Sneaking around at night wasn't difficult, especially when they got to the castle. A gentle orange glow circled the docks. Lovino was doing his job. Alfred waved the trio over.

"Took you long enough. You're the last ones here." Alfred snickered, "The twins made up an excuse to spend the night on the ship. And that Elois kid got here an hour ago."

"Show off." Xavier muttered.

Gale looked up at Alfred, "Are the twins preparing the ship?" She questioned.

Alfred nodded, "Yes. They're almost done. We'll be able to set sail in a half hour."

Gale grinned, "Excellent! Come on. Let's load up our stuff." She ran off to the ship. Xavier and Arlo were about to follow her when something held them back. It was Lovino in his human form.

"Now, don't try and fight on the voyage." Lovino huffed.

"We can be well behaved. We're nearly adults." Xavier scoffed. "You're supposed to be the fun adults on this quest. Don't act like my parents." Arlo groaned.

Lovino rolled his eyes and hit their shoulders, "I'm not lecturing you little shits. I see how you two look at Gale. You have trapped yourselves in a love triangle. Learn to be rivals in silence."

Xavier and Arlo both became flustered. "I-it's not like that!" Xavier whined. Arlo looked away, "We're childhood friends. There's a difference." He muttered.

"Your red faces tell a different story." Alfred teased.

"I'm just saying to be careful. Because you boys have got competition." Lovino snorted and pointed at Elois who was helping Gale with her things. The two were laughing together. Suddenly, both Xavier and Arlo glared at him.

Lovino grasped their shoulders, "Be rivals in silence. Also, be cautious. I know you two aren't dumbasses." He warned.

"A quiet battle for the lovely lady's hand. Sounds like the fairytales Mattie and I used to read about when we were kids." Alfred laughed, "Three different guys in love with the same girl."

"Hey, we don't know if Elois likes Gale like that!" Arlo snapped. "He kissed her cheeks!" Xavier panicked. Elois had pecked both of Gale's cheeks. She was blushing like crazy. Arlo and Xavier ran off to stop the interaction.

"Ah, young love." Alfred chuckled.

"Says the guy who's still single." Lovino smirked. Alfred pouted, "Shut up. I'm simply waiting for the right girl. Leave me alone."

As, Alfred had predicted, Mateo and Ronald had readied the ship for sailing within a half hour. Lovino and Alfred had stopped six guards from discovering what they were doing. Ronald ushered everyone onto the ship. Churro and Coco perched atop the lookout tower with Lovino.

"You guys ready for an adventure to the mainland?" Ronald clapped his hands.

"Let's get on with it!" Gale cooed. Mateo pointed to Arlo and Gale, "Lift the anchor Arlo. Gale, push air into the sails." He instructed. Arlo swiftly heaved the anchor out of the water. Gale shapeshifted into a dragon and fanned the sails of the ship, slowly pushing the large boat out towards sea.

Lovino flew down and perched himself on Alfred's shoulder, "You know. If this goes horribly wrong, the parents of every one of these kids are going to kill us." He whispered.

"We've been through war Lovi. We'll be able to keep order of this quest." Alfred assured. Lovino shapeshifted back into a human, headbutting Alfred's chest. "I am Lovino to you. Only my brother and Martina call me by that nickname." He snapped.

Alfred laughed nervously, "Got it." He gave a thumbs up.

**xXx**

The adults of the Tolys-Kaska household were woken up early in the morning by furious knocking on the front door. Tolys rolled out of bed and went to answer the door. He was surprised to see Martina and Roderich.

"Eh? What are you two doing here? Do you have to eat breakfast with your boys?" Tolys yawned.

"Well, we would. If they were here!" Martina whined.

Kaska came up behind Tolys and rested her chin on his shoulder, "What are they blabbering about dear?" She mumbled.

"Ronald and Mateo are gone!" Roderich snapped.

Tolys sighed, letting the brunettes inside. "That's awful. But why is that our problem?" He questioned.

Suddenly, the other adults in the house came downstairs.

"Gale's gone!" Erika panicked.

"Arlo and Xavier aren't here either." Sakura added.

"And Al never came to the house last night." Matthew gulped.

"What in the blue hell is going on?" Lukas groaned. "Daddy, look!" Julia tugged on Tolys' shirt, pointing over to the corner of the room that was deemed Tolys' workspace.

"Oh my! Someone tampered with your potions." Kaska gasped. Tolys and Lukas went to investigate. Bottles were out of place and the lock on Tolys' spellbook was missing.

"Xavier messed with my spells." Tolys blinked.

"How do you know it was him?" Mathew raised an eyebrow. "Like his mother, he's disorganized and messy. He's not one to clean up after himself." Tolys rolled his eyes. Kaska pouted and crossed her arms.

"It appears he played with a sleeping spell." Lukas observed the bottles left out.

"That explains why I slept through the night." Julchen rested a hand on her stomach.

"But why? I know Arlo can be a shit and Gale is a bit of a rebel. But Xavier doesn't seem like the type to do anything bad." Ned quirked an eyebrow. "Xavier can be bad too. He just chooses not to. He's mysterious like that." Kaska stuck her tongue out at him.

Martina set a satchel on the table, "I think I know why. And even where." She muttered. Roderich dumped the contents from the satchel, "These are maps from Martina's travels with her father Diego." He stated. Julchen and Erika spread the maps onto the table.

"These make zero sense. They're all maps are totally different." Erika blinked. Julchen tutted and rearranged the maps, "If I know Martina best, there's a puzzle to these." She smirked.

"You know me so well. I know I did funny things with my maps." Martina smiled.

"God damn. It's one large map." Ned helped Julchen arrange the maps, "That's rather clever Martina."

Lukas, Tolys and Matthew looked over the map. Lukas glanced over at Martina, "Okay. Now that we've figured out your map, show us where you think they've gone." He instructed. Martina nodded, tracing out the lines on the northwestern side of the map.

Matthew adjusted his glasses, "Eh? What is that? It looks to be off the coast of the Northern Kingdom."

"That's the mainland." Martina replied, "The Cardinal kingdoms merely exist on an island several miles away from it. My father and I never went to the mainland. But we sailed by it."

"So no one has explored this place?" Lukas questioned. Martina shook her head, "Rumors say that the mainland is dangerous. Crawling with savage people and blood-thirsty creatures. Everyone who has ventured to the mainland has died." She gulped.

"No! My baby boy is gonna die." Kaska whined.

"Gale can't shapeshift into her large form just yet. She can't protect herself or anyone else with her small size." Gale panicked.

Sakura pulled at her hair, "Arlo. He can't stay either of his animal forms for very long. He's a goner." She chewed her lip.

Martina hugged Roderich, "Roddy. The twins have barely been outside of the kingdom. Their swordsmanship will only help them so much. They can't make it out there." She sniffled.

Julchen perked up, "Wait. Lovino was visiting the castle yesterday, right? And Alfred arrived in the kingdom a day or so ago."

"Oh god. You think those two are the adults with them?" Ned questioned. "They're all gonna die!" Kaska gasped dramatically.

"Hey. Alfred may be an idiot but that doesn't mean he can't take care of others. I'm stronger by magic. He is stronger physically." Matthew huffed, "Who do you think took care of me when Arthur wasn't around? Alfred is a big brother to everyone. He will protect those kids with his life."

Martina rubbed her eyes, "Lovi is the same way. He's a very nurturing person and has good survival skills thanks to his grandpa. And he's a good fighter." She pushed some hair out of her face. "Him and the twins are very close. I trust him to protect them."

Erika rubbed her temple, "Okay. So let me get this straight. Five teenagers and two adults are on a quest to explore a land that is said to be extremely dangerous." She groaned. "What are we gonna do about it? We need to bring them back here. This adventure they're seeking is going to get them all killed if we don't do anything about it!

"They took the biggest boat." Roderich sighed, "We won't be able to catch up to them."

"We don't need a boat. I am a dragon. I can fly long distances." Erika huffed. Martina shook her head vigorously, "No! You can't simply fly across these seas. The weather out there is awful and very unpredictable. You won't be able to reach them." She gulped.

"So are you saying that we can't do anything until they reach the mainland?" Tolys raised an eyebrow.

Roderich put on a smug smile, "We can't, no. But we can reach them. The twins have pet macaws. Coco and Churro. We can communicate with them." He clarified.

"Although we'll need a bird to take a message to them." Martina pouted.

Julchen face palmed, "Why do I know exactly where this is going?" She muttered.

Ned copied her actions, "Awe hell. Are we gonna have to rely on Feliciano to deliver a god damn message?"

Martina laughed sheepishly, "Y-yes. We really don't have a choice. Besides, it would be in our best interests to have him deliver a message. Since Lovino is on the voyage so it will be easier for Feliciano to find them."

"Feliciano is making his way to the Northern kingdom as we speak. He took his family and Lovino's family on the scenic route here. Lovino got impatient." Roderich pushed up his glasses, "He'll be here a week's time."

"Oh lovely. We have to wait around." Erika grumbled. Lukas patted her shoulder, "The kids on the seas right now are strong. They are born from some of the strongest people of our time. They'll survive without us." He assured.

Kaska blinked, "Hey. You remember that Elois boy Arlo and Gale met a few days ago? Do you think he tagged along?"

"And Gale said she bumped into him yesterday!" Erika groaned.

"Then coincidentally, the kids disappear into the night?" Ned growled.

"I knew that kid was suspicious. I saw him once. He looked suspicious." Tolys ran a hand through his hair.

Martina puffed out her cheeks, "Roderich. I knew what we're doing until Feli gets here."

Roderich nodded slowly, "We get to track down his family. What a hassle."

Lukas gazed out a window. Outside was a view of the ocean. He trusted Gale. He had trained her to be strong in the ways of magic. But he was still a father and worried over her safety. Gale was his little girl. The man had been through so much with her. The last thing he wanted was to lose her.

_Please be safe out there Gale. _Lukas thought to himself.

**I have finished another chapter. I'm so happy! Although, at this point, I'm not entirely sure what to do with this story. I guess it's time for me to brainstorm ideas. I have a couple but I need a few more. I want this to span at least ten chapters. I need to think up crazy things to happen! Aka, I need drama in this story.**

**Anyhow, I hope you all are enjoying this story. Writing this is fun, as always. If you have any suggestions for drama, be it with the adults or the teens, let me know. I'd love your input. Until next time my fellow hetalians, hasta la pasta! ~Mistress Churro**


	4. Chapter 3: Highs and Lows

It has been a few days since the children and their adult caperons set sail. No land had appeared in sight yet. Xavier was becoming homesick. Despite Arlo's pep talk before they left, the blonde still felt some guilt.

Xavier sat against the looking tower with his spell book, trying to distract himself.

"He's really killing the atmosphere here." Ronald pouted. "A little bit. This is supposed to be an epic adventure." Mateo sighed as he steered the ship.

"Leave him alone. He has never been anywhere without his family. So this whole quest is unnatural for him." Erika huffed. Arlo rolled his eyes, "Well someone cheer him up before he gets the idea to turn the ship around." He grumbled.

Lovino nudged Alfred, "I'm horrible at cheering people up. You do it." He huffed. "Why me? That kid has ice powers. I know he can't control his magic if he's too anxious and I do not want to become an ice sculpture." Alfred whined.

"W-well in all fairness, mister Alfred, you are the cheeriest person amongst us." Elois smiled sheepishly.

Gale nodded, "Yeah. You were as excited as me when we set sail. Go lift his spirits." She pleaded.

Alfred caved and walked over to Xavier who immediately squeaked in surprise. The older blonde insisted he meant no harm as he took a seat next to him.

"Whatcha reading in there?" Alfred asked curiously. "Just normal wizard stuff. Nothing exciting." Xavier mumbled and looked away. Alfred smirked and snatched up the book.

"H-hey! Don't touch that." Xavier gulped. "Oh come on. There's no harm in me looking. I look at my brother's spellbooks all the time." Alfred laughed as he gazed down at the open pages, "Ah! You're looking at fire spells. Doesn't sound like a good match with your ice powers." He observed.

Xavier looked at the man in shock, "Y-you can read the old language of wizards?" He stuttered. Alfred nodded, "Yeah. My older brother Arthur was a wizard and so is my twin brother Mattie. I studied with Mattie. I can read everything. I just can't use magic. So I bulked up instead. That way I could help out Mattie." He grinned.

"You and Matthew are twins. How the fuck did you not inherit magical abilities?" Lovino questioned. Alfred shrugged, "Don't know. Maybe Mattie hogged all the magic in our mother's womb." He snickered and focused his attention back on Xavier.

"Hey Xavier. I know you miss your family. I know the feeling. I lost my big brother in the war sixteen years ago and just ditched my brother to go on an adventure that could get me killed." Alfred slung an arm around the teen, "But you can't mope around forever. You've got killer ice magic and are basically the nurse on this ship. We need you not down in the dumps."

"Are you saying to forget about my family?" Xavier whined.

Alfred shook his head, "No. Use your love for them as strength on this adventure. Doesn't your dad say something like that?"

Gale knelt in front of Xavier and took his hand, "Yeah. Mister Tolys told my parents that just before the war." She smiled. "My parents used their love for me as strength to push forwards. And you know what happened?"

"That evil man kidnapped you and my mother, using it as leverage against your parents and my father?" Xavier blinked. Gale laughed nervously, "W-well yeah. That did happen. But I meant the good thing that happened."

"Erika, Lukas, Julchen, Ned, my brother and your dad used the power of love to defeat that evil guy!" Alfred cheered. Lovino ruffled Xavier's hair, "We're gonna face some dangerous shit once we make it to the mainland. We may need to do something similar to that feat and we'll need you. So buck up. We're here to talk if you get cold feet again." Xaver seemed less blue and perked up from his saddened state.

A few hours later, a storm began to brew. Mateo and Ronald gave orders to prepare the ship, as there was no way to avoid it.

"These waves are gonna make me sick." Elois gulped. "How the hell are we gonna get through the storm? This boat will be ripped to shreds! Do you see those clouds?" Arlo groaned.

Xavier paced around the ship before he gasped, "I know a forcefield spell! If you gather around me, I can create a forcefield around us to protect us." He suggested.

Lovino raised an eyebrow, "How long can you hold it?" He questioned. Xavier gulped as he gripped his staff, "Five minutes? Maybe seven." He muttered. Gale put a hand on Xavier's shoulder, "I have magical powers too. Allow me to aid you. I know that spell as well. Together we could double that time." She smiled.

Xavier nodded, "Alright everyone. Gather around!" He ordered. The rest of the group circled around Xavier and Gale. Mateo grunted as his twin clutched onto a battle axe, "Must you hold that so close to you?" He huffed.

"It's one of mama's axes. I can't lose it." Ronald pouted. "And this is why I use swords." Mateo sighed.

"That statement didn't make any sense." Elois blinked. "Quiet now. We must focus." Gale shushed and closed her eyes. Xavier followed suit, keeping a firm grasp on his staff. Gale clapped her hands together. She had a staff as well, but never used it so she could use her magical abilities to their fullest.

As soon as the ship drifted into the dangerous storms, the two blondes activated the spell. It created a blue, pearlescent bubble around the company. Even if it wasn't necessary, everyone silently agreed to hold hands. Although the forcefield didn't block any sound or light. Thunder and lightning went off around them. So much was happening for several minutes. Then everything went black.

**xXx**

What seemed like hours later, the party washed up on a sandy beach. Gale was the first to wake up. She was exhausted and very cold, which wasn't good for her. Her vision was hazy and her mouth tasted of salt. The blonde looked around and breathed a shaky sigh of relief when everyone was accounted for.

"We did it. We made it." Gale mumbled. One by one, everyone else began to sit up and take in their surroundings. They were on a beach. But a tree line spread for miles both left and right several feet away from shore.

"Oh yay. A forest. We don't have that back on the island." Arlo scoffed. "It is rather peculiar to see these kinds of trees so close to shore. Our forest is in the center of the island, has similar trees and is nowhere close to the shores." Xavier raised an eyebrow.

Alfred helped everyone to their feet. The teens could stand on their own, except for Gale. She immediately fell back onto the sand.

"What's wrong with her?" Elois gasped. Xavier knelt down beside her, "She's a dragon shapeshifter so anything too cold can make her sick." He explained as he checked her pulse and her breathing.

Mateo stuck his hand in the lapping water on the shore, "Oh yeah. That water is bone chilling. We need to get her dry and warmed up." He blinked.

"We should remove her clothes. They must be damp." Arlo suggested causally. Elois blushed, "B-but she's the only girl in the group. Stripping her in front of guys would be bad." He bit his lip.

"No. He's right. Whether or not I use the warmth of my flames to dry her clothes will mean nothing if her skin and hair are still cold." Lovino sighed. Xavier took off his cloak, "Dry my cloak. So you have something to wrap her up in once you remove her clothes." He smiled.

Alfred patted the blonde's head, "Quick thinking kid." He winked and turned to the other boys, "Now turn around. Gave Gale some privacy." The teens complied and faced away from them. Lovino dried Xavier's cloak and had him face away. The brunet carefully undressed Gale, handing the damp clothing to Alfred before wrapping the girl in the cloak.

"You're good now!" Alfred announced, allowing the teenagers to turn back around. Lovino scooped up an unconscious Gale in his arms.

"Hey, shouldn't you dry Gale's clothes?" Arlo snorted. Lovino rolled his eyes, "I can't. I'm using my warming abilities to keep Gale's heart rate stable. Once she wakes up, I'll dry them off."

Alfred rolled up his sleeves as he threw Gale's clothes into a bag, "For now we need to find supplies and build a shelter. We won't explore until all of us have recovered from the storm."

The boys nodded, although a couple groaned in annoyance. Xavier kept his eye on Gale, keeping a mental record on her heart rate. He paused to hear a low growling noise, grabbing his staff.

"What was that?" Mateo looked around as he unsheathed his sword. Ronald pointed to the forest with his battle axe, "It's coming from there." He panicked.

A red claw stepped out of the treeline and a large dragon emerged from the trees. Smoke came of its nose as it glared down at them.

"Oh shit." Alfred gazed at the beast, "Lovino. You're the only one who can shapeshift and hold your form right now. Do something!"

"No! If I put Gale down, she will die of hypothermia." Lovino snapped, "Being a dragon shapeshifter, she needs to stay with something that radiates heat. Me being a phoenix is what is keeping her alive!"

"A dragon . . . shapeshifter?" The dragon spoke, lowering themselves to the ground and walking out of the trees as a human man. He had messy blonde hair with bright blue eyes. He appeared to be tall and wore a black cloak with a red tunic, tan pants and black boots. The man came running up to Lovino.

"Yes. That is what she is. I don't care if you're like her. Stay away!" Lovino hissed as he sprouted his wings from his back.

Xavier put his staff in between the man and Lovino, "I can use ice magic. Come any closer and I won't hesitate to blast you away." He glared at the tall man.

"I can help her. She needs more than warmth. She's sick and needs proper treatment." The man insisted, "Please let me help her and all of you."

Lovino glanced at Alfred who eyed the man suspiciously. The blonde made eye contact with the brunet, giving a nod of approval.

"Alright. We'll go with you. Try anything and I'll let these boys loose on you." Lovino huffed.

The man nodded and put a hand over his chest, "The name is Mathias. Please follow me." He turned tail and walked back to the tree. Alfred ushered the boys forward to follow Mathias.

**xXx**

Mathias took them to a small village. He stayed true to his word. A blonde woman, who gave off a similar vibe to Lukas, took Gale and put her in warmer clothes. She gave the teenage girl some herbal medicine and laid her down to rest.

"Thank you, Lovise. You are the best little nurse." Mathias cooed to the woman. "No cutesy voice in front of strangers." Lovise said in an icy tone before walking away.

"That was strangely similar to an interaction between Erika and Lukas." Arlo quirked an eyebrow. "Oh I'm sure it's just a coincidence." Xavier chuckled.

Mathias addressed the group of boys, "She'll be okay. A couple days of rest will do her good. This tent is big so you're welcome to stay here. A friend and I will collect some blankets and warmer clothing for you all." He informed them.

"Thank you for your help. We've been through a lot so your kindness is much appreciated." Alfred smiled. Mathias laughed and slapped him on the back, "Oh don't mention it. I love helping others. Now I'll leave you alone and let you relax." He walked out of the tent.

Lovino did a headcount and noticed someone was missing, "Boys. Where is Elois?" He asked.

"He stepped out a few minutes ago. He said he wanted to explore the village." Ronald replied.

Although what Ronald said was only a lie Elois thought up. The blonde had climbed a tree to the top. He gazed upon a pretty sunset before pulling out a shiny blue stone. A puff of smoke came from it and a face appeared.

"H-hello father Ivan." Elois gulped. "Oh sweet boy. I am papa, remember?" The man responded.

Elois nodded stiffly, "R-r-right. Sorry papa. You are my father. I shouldn't be so formal." He stuttered.

Ivan chuckled, "So I see you made it back here. Excellent. How is it going with the halfling?" He questioned.

Elois looked away and then back at Ivan, "It's going well. She likes me. She's my friend now." He smiled nervously. Ivan clapped his hands, "That's wonderful to hear my son. Keep charming her with that shy, introverted personality of yours. It won't be long until she falls for you. And we can put phase four into action." He cooed.

"Papa, I don't like tricking her like this. She trusts me a lot and is none the wiser. She's my first friend. I don't want to lose her." Elois gulped.

"Sweet boy. You won't lose her. You'll gain her as a wife. Doesn't that sound much better than a friend?" Ivan glared at him.

Elois bit his lip, "That sounds lovely but . . . I want that to happen naturally. Tricking her into liking me is wrong." He muttered. "Elois. You know why I sent you to the island. To meet the halfling, gain her trust and then bring her back here. Back to me. With the power I gave you as your father and her combined abilities of a wizard and a dragon shapeshifter, your children will be all powerful." Ivan explained, "Now don't back out on this plan. You know what will happen if you disobey me."

Another puff of smoke showed a pretty blonde woman with blue eyes. Her hair was in a bun. Although she looked miserable. "Mama! Oh papa, please don't hurt her. Not anymore than you already have." Elois whined.

Ivan snapped his fingers and made the smoky image of the woman disappear, "You don't want your precious mama hurt? Then stick to the plan. Get rid of the ugly panther-wolf spawn and Tolys' little parasite if you must. Stick to the halfling like glue." He snapped and put on a childish smile, "If you still have trouble, use that potion I gave you. To speed things up."

Elois panicked and shook his head, "B-but papa. That potion. It's the same one you forced Tolys to use on Gale's parents. We're still young. I don't want to do that to her!"

"Then keep up with that enduring and naive act. Girls can't resist a shy boy." Ivan winked, "Now. I must cheer up your mother. I"ll leave things to you, my sweet boy." The smoke disappeared.

Elois sniffled and held the stone to his chest, "Don't worry mama. I'll save you and Paris. And we'll run away from him. Far away from him and be happy somewhere else."

**xXx**

"You want me to do WHAT?!"

A week has past. Feliciano arrived in the Northern Kingdom with his family and his brother's family. Martina and Roderich personally escorted the families to the castle to explain the situation. And to ask Feliciano for help. Their request made the color drain from the man's face. From shock and fear.

Martina took his hands, "Please Feli. Our children, your brother, is out there; across the ocean! We need to bring them home."

Tolys stepped forward, "Feliciano. It's more than likely that a storm destroyed the ship and they washed up on the shore of the mainland. Erika is too large to navigate through the clouds. Also, you have a special bond with your twin. You'll be able to find him, Alfred and the children quickly." He added.

Feliciano pulled his hands away from Martina as he began to nervously pull on his hair. Emma, who had become Lovino's wife later on, grabbed the short man's shirt and pulled him up against her so she was in his face. A pair of grey wolf ears appeared on her head.

"That is my husband out there Feli! The father of my son. He needs to be here! You have to do this." Emma growled like a wolf. Feliciano squeaked as he began to tear up. Ned intervened and pried Emma away from him, "Sister. Don't terrify him. You know he's skittish." He grumbled.

Feliciano squeaked again when a boy with messy brown hair and big, green eyes pulled on his shirt, "Uncle Feli. I want my papa to come back. I was sad when he didn't travel with us." He gulped. The man turned away from the boy, "Roman. Don't use those eyes. Please." He sniffled.

Julchen walked up to Feliciano's family. It consisted of Eva and a little girl the same age as Roman. The girl had long auburn hair with the blue-green eyes of her mother. Eva had longer hair worn in a braid tied off by a purple ribbon.

"Perhaps his family should help him decide." Julchen suggested. Feliciano turned to Eva and their daughter, "Eva. Carrina. What should I do?" He asked softly.

Carrina hugged her father's stomach, "Go save uncle Lovi." She cooed. Eva caressed his cheek, "I'd rather you not go somewhere unknown but . . . this is an important mission. Your brother and several others could be in danger. And only you can deliver the message. You must do this. Come back with good news." She smiled.

Erika put a hand on Eva's shoulder, "If him going alone is what you're most worried about, I'll accompany him. He just has to fly above the clouds by himself. I fly that high and I'll more than likely freeze from the cold air." Ella and Lukas immediately protested this suggestion.

"No mama! You can't leave too." Ella whined as she clung to her mother's legs. "I've lost you once before, Erika. I am not losing you again." Lukas huffed.

Erika patted Ella's head, scooping up the little girl and looking down at Lukas. "I don't want to leave you two here. But, as Eva said, this is an important mission. And I have no problem joining Feliciano. You both know, heck everyone here knows I'm very strong. I am in no way fragile. I'll handle myself." She rested her forehead against Lukas'.

Lukas was quiet for a long moment before he sighed in defeat, "Damn. How can you be so nice yet so stubborn at the same time?" He smirked. "It's a gift. Remember you fell in love with all of me. Not just my good things." Erika teased.

And the plan was set in motion. Early the next morning, the families saw Erika and Feliciano off.

"Now, you don't have to necessarily come back with them. But that would be nice." Martina laughed nervously. Erika rolled her eyes, "Despite my size, I would not be able to bring them all back. My scales are smooth so if it were to rain, they'd fall right off and I am the wrong animal to be diving into that cold sea." She sighed.

Ella gave Erika a quick hug, "Come back safe mama." She mumbled. Erika kissed her head, "I will. I promise." She assured.

"Hey Rika. Catch!" Ned tossed a long handled battle axe to Erika who caught it with ease, "Just in case."

Erika snickered, "I haven't used this in years." She carefully ran her finger along the blade. Martina's eyes sparkled with excitement, "Do you still know how to use it?" She cooed.

The blonde gripped the handle, "Let's see if I do. I must be out of shape. It seems heavier than I remember." She smirked. With a swift arm motion, Erika managed to spin the large axe in a circle a couple times before gracefully slicing the blade along the sandy shores. Martina, Emma and Julchen cheered gleefully.

Lukas, Matthew and Tolys looked completely bewildered. Erika never used a weapon due to her ability to shapeshift so seeing her wield something as powerful as her animal form was something very shocking.

"Powerful yet done with such elegance! I love it!" Martina grinned, "I can only hope I taught Ronald well enough to use one."

"I'd be happy to teach him. A battle axe, especially one with a long handle like mine, is not easy to master." Erika winked. "I've taught him to use one similar. I myself use a long handled battle axe." Martina giggled.

"She's very good with it. It's scary." Feliciano shuddered. Erika seemed entrigged, "Really? Then allow me to spar with you once this whole situation is done with." She chuckled.

Matthew hid behind Julchen, "Remind me not to get on their bad sides." He gulped. "Don't worry about the axe. The only way it can seriously hurt you is with a swift motion." Julchen laughed.

Emma grinned, "Oh yeah. Fast movement can be deadly. Once Erika used it to stop a bandit from terrorizing our village. She sliced through one of his legs like butter."

Ned nodded, "She cut his leg clean off. Muscle, bone and all."

Sakura lightly touched the two katanas on her back, "My swords are nothing." She said softly.

Lukas stepped forwards, "These two must be going now. We've wasted enough time." He sighed. Erika nodded to Lukas and then to Feliciano. The blonde woman put the axe on her back. Her and Feliciano spread their wings, quickly changing into their animals forms before flying off towards the clouds.

**xXx**

A couple more days passed. Gale has fully recovered and was happily discovering so many new things with the people of the village. She learned that dragons shapeshifters still existed and chose to live a more simple way of life away from the Cardinal island.

Mathias took the group to other surrounding villages, telling them everything he knew. Mateo and Ronald even struck up some diplomatic trade deals with various leaders. Xavier and Gale ate up every new detail, scribbling everything into journals. Arlo learned cool and more efficient ways to hunt, as a human and animal. Alfred was able to learn how to use potions, giving him a connection to small amounts of magic. Lovino ate up a lot of food and learned different cooking techniques. Elois learned with everyone but he seemed very skittish most of the time. This made Xavier and Arlo suspicious so the two kept an eye on them.

In the late afternoon on this day, Mathias brought the company back to his village.

"I'm glad you all are enjoying yourselves. I've never seen so many people this eager to learn." Mathas chuckled.

"Xavier and I are wizards. We're naturally curious about everything." Gale smirked.

"The mainland is not at all what our mother described it as. The people are very nice and the only dangerous thing is that almost everyone living here is an animal shapeshifter." Mateo inquired. Mateo nodded in agreement.

"People acted so horribly to keep pirates and other dastardly sea goers away from our peaceful home." Mathias sighed, "It was a method to protect us."

"Well now, you have us to rely on. We can keep the peace here and make an alliance." Ronald smiled, "Ma used to be a sea traveler herself. She'd be able to navigate the waters."

"We don't have anything like royalty here so I do hope we can trust your parents." Mathias nodded slowly.

Alfred yawned and stretched his arms, "Enough talk. Why don't we get started on some grub? We walked more than usual today."

Mathias snickered, "Certainly. That sounds like a great idea."

Just before they could leave the tent, a smoke bomb was released into it. It created a thick fog and lasted for several minutes. Once Xavier and Lovino were able to clear it up, they did a head count.

Mathias coughed as he waved away leftover smoke, "What in the world was that?" He blinked.

"Gale and Elois are gone!" Alfred gasped. "Ah shit." Lovino groaned.

Arlo balled up his hands, "I knew that Elois guy was suspicious. He ran away with her somewhere!" He huffed.

"Easy Arlo. We don't know if it was him." Ronald laughed nervously.

"No, I agree. He has been on edge ever since we came here! He's hiding something." Xavier snapped.

"Guys calm down!" Alfred shouted to get their attention, "Let's not go pointing fingers just yet. That will get us nowhere."

The group of boys began to talk and argue inside the tent. Behind a tree, Elois stood with Ivan. Gale was thrown over Ivan's shoulder, passed out.

"Good work with that smoke bomb. You're getting better at your magic." Ivan snickered softly.

"P-papa, we need to head back home before anyone notices." Elois gulped. Ivan nodded curtly, "Yes. Let's get moving before the halfling wakes up. My magic is getting stronger but it's not like it used to be." He ran deeper into the trees. Elois looked at the tent before following after his father.

**xXx**

After a couple hours of shouting and arguing, Mathias and Lovise forced the boys to stop and eat. Mathias wanted the arguing to stop and Lovise was worried about the food getting cold. She was also very annoyed. It was a very quiet and tense meal.

Just as they were finished eating, a blonde girl around Arlo's age came running up to Mathias. She had long hair and kept it pulled back in two pigtails.

"Dad, a man and a woman with wings have landed on the shore!" The girl gulped. Lovise got up with Mathias, "Gunvor. Keep an eye on the village while we investigate." She ordered. Gunvor nodded.

Mathias shapeshifted into a dragon and flew ahead. Lovise made her way through the trees. Alfred and Lovino silenced the boys but urged them to follow them and Lovise. When they made it to the treeline, Mathias landed just to the left of them and roared.

"Like I'm scared of you! I can do that too!" Shouted a woman's voice.

Lovise gasped, "Another female shapeshifter?" She stared in awe.

"God dammit." Lovino and Alfred said in unison.

"Hey Mathias! Don't do anything. We know them!" Xavier called out as he stepped out of the treeline with everyone else. Mathias nodded and shapeshifted back to his human form.

Feliciano squealed when he saw his brother and tackled him in a hug, "Oh thank goodness. You're okay!" He began to cry.

Lovino grumbled as he patted his twin's back, "I'm not weak you know. I can fucking take care of myself." He scoffed.

Erika walked up to Alfred and promptly punched him in the jaw. Alfred fell to the ground.

"That was from all the parents with missing children. Damn you for supporting their reckless adventure!" Erika hissed and kicked him in the groin, "And that's from your brother. He says you're an idiot."

"I deserved all of that." Alfred tried to laugh it off. Xavier healed the older man's jaw, "I'm shocked she didn't break it." He gulped. Erika took her battle axe off her back and pointed it at Alfred's neck.

"He's lucky I didn't use my battle axe. I didn't because I would've cut off his head." Erika snorted, pulling the axe away from Alfred and looking at the kids, "Where is my daughter and that Elois kid?" She questioned.

Xavier bit his lip, "Them, yeah. Th-that's a funny story. A really funny story." He chuckled nervously.

"They got kidnapped. Something along those lines." Arlo finished in a blunt tone.

Feliciano let go of Lovino and Erika dropped her battle axe, "THEY WERE WHAT?!" They both shouted.

**Oh heck yeah. Things are heating up now! I finally figured out what I wanted to do with this story. And I am looking forward to writing more. I will be starting on another story along with writing this one. So that way if I get stuck on this or need a break, I can go to another story.**

**The other story is gonna include a ton of my Hetalia OCs. More specifically, the OCs I created of the 50 states. I've got some stupid, dramatic story in mind for it. And I plan on writing it in a first person perspective with one of the characters. Look forward to that. **

**I also may write something completely different. I have several smaller story ideas to choose from. Until next time my fellow Hetalians, hasta la pasta! ~Mistress Churro**


	5. Chapter 4: A Lonely Dragon

It was dark, almost pitch black. Gale's vision was hazy as it is. The last thing she remembered was coming back from a village and then a smoke bomb being thrown into the tent they were staying in. And then she was knocked out.

The teenager forced herself to sit up. She rubbed her head as she glanced around, noticing that she was in something similar to a jail cell. That was already concerning. Gale became even more worried when she realized that she wasn't alone.

A blonde woman with a messy bun and blue eyes stared fearfully at her. The woman clutched onto a little boy who was her mirror image with bouncy curls. They were covered head to toe in bruises and scrapes, dressed in dirty clothes.

"H-hey. I mean no harm. I-I promise. I'm just as scared as you." Gale spoke calmly, "My name is Gale. What about you two?"

The blonde relaxed slightly but kept her hold on the boy, "I'm Marie Bonnefoy. A-and this is my son Paris." She said softly. Gale smiled slightly, "How old is he? He looks around my sister's age."

"H-h-he is seven years old. Him and his brother are ten years apart." Marie stuttered. "Neat. My little sister, Ella, is seven years younger than me. Do Paris and his brother get along?" Gale chuckled.

Marie bit her lip as she stroked the boy's hair, "Th-they get along p-pretty well. B-b-but . . . their father doesn't let them spend much time together." She gulped.

"Oh that's a shame. Why does their father do that? That's so wrong. My parents forced me to spend time with my little sister." Gale raised an eyebrow.

"So that dragon and dumb wizard created another spawn. Interesting." A man's voice emanated from the outside of the cell.

Gale watched Marie scurry to the corner of the cell and quickly turned to face the person speaking. That's when her blood ran cold. She recognized his appearance from descriptions in history books and from Tolys.

"Ivan the malnevolent wizard." Gale squeaked as she began to panic internally, "Y-y-you're supposed to be dead! My parents and their friends killed you!"

Ivan laughed, "They definitely hurt me back then. Sent me flying over the castle wall. I landed on the beach. My lovely lady was there waiting with our two-month-old son, so graciously offering her magic to help me. I escaped to the mainland." He explained, gesturing to the woman cowering in fear.

Gale glanced at Marie before turning her attention back to Ivan, "You're a horrible man! And a terrible father. I'd bet money she didn't want to be with you in the first place. You probably stole her away from her home!" She snapped, gripping the metal bars. "You used her!"

"Oh please dearie. I'm not the first man to do such a thing in this world." Ivan smiled.

"But you're the worst person to do it! You don't even let poor Paris spend time with his brother. Sibling bonding is important." Gale hissed. Ivan glared at Marie, "Sounds like she told a little about herself and the boy. I'll punish them later." He hummed.

Gale slammed her fists on the bars, "Don't you dare hurt them! They've done nothing." She shouted. "Exactly. They aren't useful. She can barely use magic anymore and little Paris can't use it at all. That's why Paris can't spend time with his big brother. His big brother can use magic and is as strong as me." Ivan snorted.

"That is so cruel! Do you really think his older brother is okay with you tearing them apart?!" Gale growled. Ivan unlocked the cage and yanked her out, clasping shackles around her wrists. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" He chuckled.

Gale blinked and looked around before she spotted Elois. He looked upset and ashamed. It took a moment, but everything suddenly clicked. But it upset her.

"No. No! He's not your father. He can't be!" Gale was in denial.

"Who do you think told him to make friends with you? He was doing exactly as papa told him to." Ivan giggled, "I can tell you his personality was real. It was the selling point that allowed him to gain your trust so easily. He had you fooled the whole time. He became your friend to help execute my plan. I needed fresh meat for my experimental potion. After all that, it was reproduction. Mixing your genes with his would create spawn that would be unstoppable."

Elois looked away, "I-I wanted to tell you. B-b-but I couldn't. I-I didn't like what was doing, I swear." He sniffled.

Gale's face turned red with anger, "BULLSHIT! You lied to me. I trusted you! I had faith in you when Xavier and Arlo didn't. I thought you were my friend! But I was just a pawn your daddy's scheme that would turn into a prize for you. You were only ever interested in my powers! I HATE YOU!" She ranted as her tone dripped with disgust, "You're just as shady as your father! Stay the HELL away from me!"

Elois felt his heart sink as Ivan tried to drag Gale away. The only friend he ever had, was taken away from him. Just like his brother. He went into the cell to his mother. Ivan slammed the door shut after getting Gale to move along.

Marie pulled Elois in for a hug, "I know it hurts baby. I am so sorry he used you like that." She whispered. "S-s-she was my only friend mama. She was nice to me. I didn't want to do this to her. B-but I had no choice. I didn't want him to hurt you and Paris more." Elois whined.

Marie kissed his head, "Thank you for protecting us but you're allowed to be a tiny bit selfish. I can shield your brother from the beatings. But I don't expect you to shield me. You can tell him no, hun. Don't let him control you like he did with Tolys. You have the power to fight back." She caressed his cheek.

"D-don't say that mama. You're my family. You and Paris. I can't just let him hurt you." Elois shook his head. Marie huffed and grabbed his chin, "You listen to me, hun. Even if Ivan has treated you horribly, I did not raise a coward. You are still half me. I never hesitated to tell other people how I felt. My friends Martina and Julchen knew me well. I wasn't a pushover. I've told Ivan no plenty of times. The last time I told him yes was seven years ago."

Elois winced and rubbed his eyes, "Y-y-you love me and Paris though. R-right?" He mumbled. Marie held Paris (who had been crying alongside his brother) and Elois close, "Of course I do. I do not regret having you two. My baby boys are the best things that ever happened to me. I just wish your father treated you better." She assured.

"I love you too mama." Paris murmured. Elois nodded, "I love you too." He sniffled.

**xXx**

Erika was pacing back and forth in the large tent. Could anyone blame her? She was just told her daughter had been kidnapped. Feliciano tried to calm her down.

"After that bombshell," Lovino glared at Arlo for a moment before looking to Mathias and Lovise, "Do you have any idea of who might want to take Gale?" He questioned.

Lovise and Mathias looked at each other. Then Lovise stepped forwards. "There is one man. He is an evil wizard who has tried kidnapping young shapeshifters time and time again for years." She replied, "He came from across the sea and called himself . . . Ivan. He resides in an underground lair hidden near the tallest tree in this forest. We don't go too close. Most people can't go near the tree without getting hurt."

Erika stopped pacing. The phoenix twins and Alfred all froze up. That was news.

"I thought Ivan was dead." Xavier blinked. Erika clenched her fists, "He should be dead. The bastard somehow lived from the magical power of the Crystal staff. This changes everything. We'll need reinforcements." She huffed and turned to Mathias, "Can you navigate through storms?" Mathias nodded.

"Good. You, me and those phoenix brothers are heading back to the mainland to bring the reinforcements. Alfred and Lovise should stay to try and gather more information on Ivan." Erika crossed her arms.

Lovise bowed slightly, "I will do my best. We can keep an eye on the children as well."

"Miss Erika, we can be the reinforcements. None of us are weak!" Arlo growled.

Erika glared him down with a fiery stare, "You barely hold either of your animal forms for an hour. Xavier isn't emotionally stable enough to properly use his ice powers. The twins pack more of a punch than you two and they have never been outside of their kingdom for more than a day!" She hissed. Xavier and Arlo shrunk back.

"That was a bit harsh, Erika." Feliciano blinked. "Someone needs to be blunt with them. They are not ready to face a real threat." Erika scoffed, "Mathias. Let's go." She snapped.

"Hey, slow the hell down! You just got here." Lovino groaned. Erika grabbed his shirt and yanked him closer, "I am wasting no time god dammit! My daughter and her friend are in the clutches of one of the most dangerous men out there. Gale shouldn't be a prisoner to Ivan longer than she needs to be! Now get moving." She shoved him out of the tent. Feliciano and Mathias quickly followed.

**xXx**

A few days have passed. At least according to Marie. Gale had been poked and prodded with multiple needles in almost every part of her body. Her arms, legs and abdomen were covered in bandages. Her body ached.

A blonde woman with glasses and her daughter took care of Gale after every experiment. They tended to her wounds and fed her. Today was no different. But Gale also noticed something different. As they were leaving, Gale spotted black chokers on their necks. They were adorned with a shiny blue stone.

Gale took a deep breath and approached Marie, "H-hey miss Marie. Who are those girls? One of them looks awfully familiar to me." She asked.

Marie perked up from brushing Paris' hair and looked at Gale, "That is Elise and Amelia. I believe Ivan abducted them from the Cardinal island. Elise is Tolys' little sister. She probably went missing several years ago, correct?" She sighed.

"Yeah. About six years ago. Her disappearance hit mister Tolys and miss Rota hard. They've been trying to find her for so long." Gale muttered.

"Ivan missed having Tolys around so I think he thought taking one of his sisters for himself would fill that weird void." Marie rolled his eyes, "Funny. Amelia is six years old. I wonder who her father is. She looks exactly like her mother so it's hard to notice something different about her."

It was quiet for a few minutes before the boy shifted around. Paris glanced at Gale, "Gale. You should talk to my big brother." He spoke softly.

Gale snorted and looked away, "And why should I do that? He lied to me. About our friendship, about his wants and who his family was. He is dead to me." She grumbled.

Marie put a hand on Gale's shoulder, "Gale, sweetie. He wasn't lying about his friendship. He really did value your friendship. He grew up alone and hardly gets a chance to interact with his little brother. You were his first friend. He only lied to protect Paris and I. He feels very guilty for leading you astray. He'd help you get out of this situation if he could." She smiled gently.

Gale gulped, gripping her hands togethers. "W-was I too harsh when I found out everything? He was really nice and I feel kinda bad for lashing out at him."

"You had every right to feel angry. I don't blame you." Marie chuckled sheepishly, "I'm just telling you to give him a second chance. Elois is skittish by nature. But once you get to know him, he is a big ol' softie who is eager to please. He's a charmer, just like his mama." She winked.

Gale cracked a tiny smile, "He was very polite to me back on the island. I can't deny he wasn't a sweetheart." She chuckled.

"Th-thank you for the compliments." Elois' voice came from the other side of the bars. Gale felt herself get flustered, "Sh-shut up! You still lied to me though." She pouted.

Elois stuck his hand through the bars, "I promise to never lie to you again. Can we make up?" He bit his lip. Gale took his hand and squeezed it, "Just help us get out of here and I'll forgive you for everything. Me, your mother, brother and those other two blonde girls." She snickered.

Elois laughed softly, "It's a deal. I've been plotting an escape for years. I'll come through for you." He winked. "Although, your parents will be a big help. I don't doubt they'll come after you."

"Oh yeah. My parents will tear this place apart looking for me. I'm their baby girl." Gale giggled, "And I mean that literally. My dad is a powerful wizard and my mother is a dragon shapeshifter."

Elois pulled her closer and kissed her hand, "I'll be counting on it."

Gale blushed darker and pulled her hand away, "O-okay. That was a bit overboard. I like you and everything. But not in that way." She laughed nervously.

"He is his mother's child. My baby can't help being a charmer." Marie cooed.

"Mama, not in front of my friend!" Elois whined.

**xXx**

Meanwhile, a day later back on the Cardinal island, Erika and the other parents had planned the rescue mission to retrieve Gale. They gathered on the shore.

Along with the original team Alpha of Lukas, Erika, Tolys, Matthew, Ned and Matthew, Martina was tagging along with the phoenix twins and Sakura.

Julchen hugged Matthew as best she could, "You don't die out there alright? I am not raising four kids by myself." She huffed.

Matthew chuckled, "And you don't go into labor while I'm gone." He kissed her nose. Julchen blushed, "No guarantees. Our last three children have been premature. Plus my family has a history of mothers giving birth as early as seven, eight months." She muttered.

Eva came up behind Julchen, "I'll take care of her. Monika is supposed to be coming to the kingdom later today. She can help take care of Julchen." She smiled.

Julchen scoffed, "I don't need to be babysat by my little sister. That defeats my role as a big sister." She crossed her arms.

Ella ran up and hugged her parents, "You come back okay? Bring Gale home." She puffed out her cheeks.

Lukas kissed her forehead, "Your mother and I defeated that evil Ivan once. And we'll do it again." He assured.

"We're strong and make a great pair." Erika grinned, nuzzling Ella's hair. "You be good for auntie Emma, okay?" She winked. Ella nodded.

Martina hugged Roderich, "Don't let this kingdom fall apart alright? I'll be back with the boys." She whispered.

Roderich kissed her forehead, "I've been ruling for a long time now. I think I'll be okay. You go be the warrior I fell in love with." He hummed.

Kaska and Julia hugged Tolys tightly. "You come back with Xavier in one piece, you hear me Tolys." Kaska huffed. Tolys laughed and pecked her cheek, "I do. And I will. With Ivan weakened, my ice magic will be no match for him."

"Go be a hero daddy. Go save big brother." Julia cooed. Tolys scooped her up and kissed her forehead, "As you wish darling. I'll go be your big brother's hero."

Mathias cleared his throat, "We should get going now. Time is precious." He tilted his head towards the ocean. The now expanded team Alpha nodded in understanding.

**xXx**

With two wizards on hand, the group was able to make it back to the mainland within hours. Lovise and Alfred waited with the children in front of the treeline. Erika and Mathias landed on the shore, allowing everyone else to get off before changing back. Almost immediately, parents rushed to their children.

Sakura forced a hug on Arlo, "Oh thank goodness you're okay. You can be so reckless but this was crossing a line. Don't ever run off like that again." She scolded through her tears.

Arlo awkwardly hugged her back, "I'm sorry I worried you ma." He muttered. Ned lightly bopped Arlo on the head before joining the hug, "Were you making sure Gale and Xavier didn't do anything stupid?" He sighed.

Arlo shrugged, "Yeah. I also came along to keep an eye on the twins. I knew auntie Martina would get upset if anything happened to them." He looked away. Ned patted his son's head, "Good on you son."

Martina tackled her boys in a hug, "I'm so glad you're not hurt! Your father will be so happy to see you." She cooed. Mateo and Ronald hugged her back.

"We had each other's back mama. Don't worry. Ronnie can wield that battle axe better than I can." Mateo chuckled. "Yeah! I fought off monsters that tried to attack the village we've been staying in" Ronald grinned. Martina kissed their cheeks, "Yes! That's my boys." She giggled.

Tolys pulled Xavier close and rested his forehead against Xavier's, "It makes me happy to see that you're okay. You gave yourself away though. You left my workplace messy." He smirked.

Xavier blushed, "Y-yeah. My bad. I should've cleaned up." He looked up at his father, "You're seriously not mad?"

"Not really. I encourage your curiosity. You've got to tell me all that you've learned when we get a chance." Tolys winked. Xavier nodded eagerly, "You're gonna love everything I've written in my journal." He smiled.

Matthew ran up to Alfred and enveloped him in a tight embrace, "Did Erika give you my message?" He glared at his twin. Alfred nodded, "Please don't repeat it. I could hardly walk after that." He gulped.

The shorter blonde smirked and playfully punched Alfred's shoulder, "Good. She got through to you. Even if you've done a good job here watching the kids, you're still an idiot for letting it happen."

Alfred pouted, pausing for a moment before gasping, "Hey Mattie! I learned magic. I can use magic!" He grinned. Matthew raised an eyebrow, "You're compatible?" He questioned.

"Yeah! I can't use it like you but I can use it through potions and stuff. I'm a nurse in training." Alfred slung an arm around Matthew, "Aren't you proud of me?" He snickered.

Matthew chuckled and poked his brother's forehead, "I am. You keep at it. Train with Kaska and Tolys."

Lovise stepped forward, "I have located Ivan's lair. We must move fast. Let's get the children to the safehouse in the village before heading out." She stated.

**xXx**

Alfred and Lovise stayed back with the kids while the others headed out to Ivan's lair. Ned and Sakura sniffed out the entrance. Something shot out from the trees. Tolys was quick to create a protective force field, making the projectiles bounce off of it.

Ned pried open the doors. "Well there goes the element of surprise." Sakura sighed. Matthew shrugged, "Sorry. Our team doesn't really work like that." He chuckled.

"Let's move. We get in, get Gale and her friend, then get out." Lukas ordered and jumped down. Everyone else followed suit. Matthew lit the way with his magic. It was very quiet. Uncomfortably quiet.

Elois came running up to them, "Oh thank goodness you're here. I'll take you to where he's keeping Gale." He sighed in relief.

Lukas raised an eyebrow, "You're Elois? Why aren't you locked up?" He questioned. Tolys looked the boy up and down. Then he connected the dots.

"It all makes sense now. Tall, pale, platinum blonde hair, violet colored eyes." Tolys stepped forward, "You're the child of Ivan." He stated.

Erika cracked her knuckles, "I was right to be suspicious of you. You tricked my daughter into a false friendship so you could bring her to your daddy." She growled.

Elois gulped, "I-I did trick her. But I swear, the friendship was real. Gale is a very nice person and I feel awful that I had to do my father's bidding."

Lukas and Erika glared daggers at the teenage boy. Then Sakura came up next to Tolys. "My father believed that everyone does everything for a reason. I'm sure Elois had a reason as to why he did what he did." Sakura spoke calmly.

"Sakura, we don't have time for this." Ned sighed. Sakura shushed him and held out a hand to Elois, "Young one. Why did you trick Gale and her friends?" She asked.

Elois bit his lip as tears pricked his eyes. "I did it so my papa wouldn't hurt my mama and little brother. Every time one of us messes up or does something he doesn't like, he punishes the other two for it. Mama shows me so much love and my brother is so young. They don't deserve to be hurt. I'd do anything to make sure papa doesn't hurt them." He explained as he wiped away his tears.

Tolys reached out, taking Elois' hand. "He did the same with me. He threatened to hurt the woman I loved and my sisters if I didn't do what he wanted." He smiled, "You don't have to listen to him anymore. We're going to help."

"Ugh, are we really going to trust his word?" Lovino groaned. Tolys sighed, "It's not easy to lie about trauma, Vargas. Also, the burden Elois is dealing with is something I dealt with."

Lukas and Erika still seemed bitter but they had grown out of lashing out in the moment. They had a mission to complete. "Elois, lead us to Gale." Tolys nodded to the boy. Elois urged them to follow. The teenage boy brought them to the cell where Gale had been kept with his mother and brother.

Oddly enough, the cell door was wide open. Marie got up with Paris and ran up to Elois, "Hun. We need to get out of here. Right now!" She insisted. "Mama, w-where's Gale?!" Elois panicked.

"Why don't you look down, my lovely audience." Ivan's voice called out from the first floor of the lair. The group quickly moved and looked over the rails. Gale was bound by her wrists and ankles with shackles.

"I can't even shapeshift into a large dragon or break through metal restrainers. Why do you feel the need to chain me down?!" Gale snapped.

"I love seeing you struggle. It's quite amusing." Ivan chuckled, "However, you must endure one more needle. Don't worry. This one you'll enjoy. You'll be able to shapeshift into a dragon as large as your mother." He pulled out a silver syringe and jammed it into the nape of her neck.

Marie shoved Paris into Elois' arms, "I said run! NOW!" She shouted and shoved them forwards. "You heard the woman. We need to run." Ned rolled his eyes. "But Gale!" Erika whined. "We are not leaving her here." Lukas snapped.

Feliciano and Lovino pushed the group forwards until they began to run. "I don't think we have a choice." Feliciano panicked. "Move it bastards!" Lovino hissed. The company sprinted back to the entrance, barely escaping as a large dragon burst free of the underground lair. Ivan sat on her back, gripping the metal chains attached to the dragon's front legs.

"What the hell did that guy cook up in that evil lair?" Alfred gasped. "Some kind of growth stimulate. A stimulate dangerous for shapeshifters." Tolys gripped his staff.

"N-no wonder my papa wanted to get his hands on Gale. There are protective barriers and safehouses in the villages. To protect everyone under the age of eighteen. He needed a young shapeshifter to test the growth stimulate." Elois shook with fear, "That's why he sent me to the Cardinal island. To bring back a young and strong shapeshifter, Gale. Since he was getting nowhere here."

"But how would he know that Gale was going to be in the Northern kingdom?" Martina bit her lip.

Marie gestured to Elise and Amelia, "He sent them there. As spies." She replied. "Aww hell man. When did they join us?" Lovino clutched his chest, "They appeared out of fucking nowhere."

Tolys froze, "He took Elise. Again. Why does he have to keep tearing my family apart?" He went up to Elise and hugged her, "I'm just glad you're okay." He murmured. Elise hugged him back.

Feliciano gazed down at the little girl, "I assume that's her daughter. But who's the father?" He blinked. Elise made eye contact with Alfred and suddenly, something clicked. Tolys, Lukas and Matthew felt it too.

"You slept with Elise?!" Tolys and Matthew both shouted at Alfred. "I completely forgot about that. We were both drunk." Alfred snickered. "When though?" Lukas quirked an eyebrow.

"It was the night of Julia's fifth birthday. I was moping about not having a significant other and Alfred took me to a bar to cheer me up. One thing led to another and we slept together. About three weeks later, Ivan kidnapped me just before I found out I was pregnant." Elise explained as she pushed up her glasses, "Ivan must've used some kind of memory wipe on us."

"Daddy!" Amelia pounced up to Alfred and hugged his legs, "Scary dragon." She whimpered. The little girl had her hair in a bob cut with a red bow in her hair.

"Don't worry. This dragon won't hurt you." Tolys assured. Alfred smirked at his brother as he picked up Amelia. Matthew glared at him. That smirk meant 'My kid is cuter than yours.' And that annoyed Matthew greatly.

"Oh really. This lovely beast won't hurt you? Her morals don't exist at the moment." Ivan laughed, "Everything and everyone is a target. I'm going to make sure she does as much damage as possible. So she'll feel so much guilt once she goes back to normal." He yanked on the chains and flew away towards the village. _The _village.

Mathias transformed into his animal form, "With Gale being the size of an adult dragon and possessing magical powers, the protective barrier won't be able to hold. We must hurry there." He huffed.

"All of you, go. Feli, Lovi and I will stay back to protect the people we just saved." Martina instructed. Matthew put a hand on Alfred's shoulder, "Stay with Elise and Amelia. Let me deal with this mess with them." He sighed. "No fair. I want to be a hero again at one point." Alfred pouted.

Tolys hit Alfred upside the head with his staff, "Your experience with magic is minimal. Your physical strength would be useful here. Protect your woman and child." He scoffed.

Ned and Erika shapeshifted, allowing Lukas and Matthew to ride them. Sakura sighed and followed suit, "Hop on Tolys. Don't expect me to do as you say. I'm a wild animal." She grumbled. Tolys gulped, hoisting himself onto her back.

"Be careful!" Marie and Elise shouted as the wizards and shapeshifters rushed off to the village.

**Another chapter down! I am on fire. I might have this done sooner than I thought. That would be awesome. I'm noticing as I write this, even though I'm happy to write it, I need to put this universe to rest. Perhaps though, I'll come back to it here and there, writing little short stories for it. Like about Gale's childhood and stuff. Just some fun one-shots.**

**I'd like to focus on other families too. I've become fond of the LietPol family and SpAus family. However, I will say I only like the SpAus family because Spain is my favorite character. I love writing Spain. Especially when I can include that pirate-like sadistic temper. I do headcanon that most countries are scared of Spain's temper because of his days as a pirate. Anyhow, until next time my fellow Hetalians, hasta la pasta! ~Churro**


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